


Creature comforts

by Random_Human



Series: ShinIchi Week 2019 [6]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bad Parent Kurosaki Isshin, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Seriously who thought giving me angst as a prompt was a good idea?, ShinIchi Week 2019, touch starved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 12:16:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17704109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Random_Human/pseuds/Random_Human
Summary: The Visored were used to it. Used to that casual need for closeness, amplified in part by their solitude, but more so by the hollows living within each of them. So when Ichigo arrived, it was a shock to all parties involved.





	Creature comforts

**Author's Note:**

> Day 6 - Touch Starved, Hurt/comfort  
> Okay so someone made the mistake of actually giving me _angst_ as a prompt... this happened. 
> 
> This (like most of my other entries) it a tad late, so I do apologize. Regardless, I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Happy reading :)

The Visored were all used to it. After centuries apart from the external world, they had to find some way to cope with the sheer _loneliness_ of their situation. It was those casual touches humanity so often coveted - a passing brush of arms, a hand on the shoulder, the occasional kiss on the cheek – only multiplied tenfold, affected by the animal nature they try so hard to hide. Hell, even before they had been close friends, some of them – Shinji in particular – well known for having little in the way of physical boundaries. They had over a century of learning and adapting, getting to the point where they instinctively knew each other's needs, where a single look conveyed more than words ever could. This new necessity, this closeness, had lead to more than its fair share of undignified puppy-piles – if centuries-seasoned warriors could be called something as demeaning as _puppies_ \- and careful embraces.

The Visored were used to it. Used to that casual need for closeness, amplified in part by their solitude, but more so by the hungry, needy, greedy Hollows living within each of them. So when Ichigo arrived, it was a shock to all parties involved.

\--- 

Ichigo Kurosaki was an enigma to them all; yes from the get-go he seemed quite simple to understand, almost lacklustre in his lack of complexity. Yes, he was a _true_ hero, a saviour, protector and all that nonsense, an everyday cliché personified. But for all his brashness, for all the ways his loud personality mirrored his bright appearance, that aloofness – often attributed to those ‘unsuspecting’ hero types – rang all too true. And to the Visored, who gave those casual touches as easily as breathing, he was anathema.

At first, they didn’t think much of it, he was the new guy, surrounded by – comrades or not – strangers far older than him, with completely different experiences. But they thought he would change with time, open up and learn to express that same desire they all held. He did not. Rather the opposite, with every passing day he seemed to close in on himself more and more, to retreat to his room whenever he had the chance and keep a careful distance between himself and everyone at all times. They had known he was an _outsider_ one who didn't understand the complexities of their ‘condition’, but in all the ways that counted he soon became one of them - well not _them_ , not ever, for that title was reserved for those who pushed and pulled and tore and hurt, until the Visored had lost everything they ever held dear - he became one of _us_.

Ichigo’s reticence was quickly noted, and just as swiftly came the discussions on how to overcome this newfound challenge. They considered that being a different type of hybrid, as he was, maybe he wasn’t as affected as them, that his lack of complete humanity affected him in different ways. But he seemed no odder than anyone else out of their – admittedly quirky – bunch. Then, they thought that maybe he was repressing that side of himself in a futile attempt to quash all Hollow instincts. They weighed their options but still could not come to a distinct conclusion. Hiyori, in particular, was bothered, as one of the ones who’s Hollow challenged her the most, she could be seen wandering around, often muttering, “So the bastard thinks he’s too good for us… show him…” And things of the like. When it got to the point where it was clearly affecting their own, decades old, dynamic Shinji knew he had to act.

So like any well-meaning ‘friends’, it was decided that they would follow (stalk) their quarry in an attempt to learn more about his interactions with those he was well acquainted with. And so, every conversation with Inoue was analysed, every twitch and nuance of body language, every time he so much as breathed differently. Then, deciding that one ‘subject’ was clearly not enough, the quashed side of Hiyori’s personality – the one that had lead her to being the fukutaichou of the _twelfth_ of all places – reared its ugly head. Things escalated.

Ichigo was pushed to spend some time away from the warehouse on occasion. Convinced with ploys of needing to stay close to his family, and friends, of not worrying his sisters too much. They watched him interact with friends, old and new. Saw how he acted around Ishida, and Sado, Asano and Arisawa, even his beloved sisters.

They reconvened often. Comparing actions and behaviours. Coming to a conclusion startling for one of their kind. It was not just them. Ichigo, it seemed, stayed away from any and all attempts of physical comfort. He danced away from those casual touches with practised ease, all the time acting as if nothing was amiss – the few times he was caught off-guard, he could be seen to flinch, almost imperceptible but it was there all the same. Even around his sisters, he was reticent, only ever embracing them in greeting and farewell. They considered neglect as an option, a heartbroken father having little time for his oldest son. Considered it as being a side effect from a lifetime of fighting – they had seen him confronted by a number of punks – considered any number of options to explain away this habit.

In the end, it was Shinji who discovered the truth.

\--- 

After weeks of – as it would be politely termed – following the teen around, almost everyone had given up. Even Hiyori, once the most focused on their goal to discover the _why_ had contented herself with their knowledge. All but Shinji. (But then again, he had differing motives, a story for another day.)

It was Shinji who heard the raised voices, disruption from a house that should be silent, with its two youngest members elsewhere occupied – at a friend’s house and soccer practice. It was Shinji who saw as the tranquillity of the afternoon was shattered. Who witnessed as the ‘discussion’ got out of hand, as punches were thrown, bruises forming as Ichigo soon retreated. It was Shinji who dealt with the aftermath. 

“Hey Ichi.”  
“Shinji… How much did you see?”  
“All of it.”  
“…Oh.”  
“Yeah, oh.”

\--- 

It was a long process, but they slowly acclimatised Ichigo to touch. Got him used to first casual human touches, the brushing of an arm in passing, clap of a hand on a shoulder, the occasional kiss on the cheek. Who integrated those touches into his daily life, until that emptiness inside of him, that made his Hollow all the more aggressive, was filled to the brim, content enough to purr with delight.

The first time Ichigo actively sought him out after a nightmare – frame tense as if expecting a blow – Shinji simply looked at him, understanding in his eyes, and welcomed him into his arms.

The first time Ichigo leaned into him - slowly releasing the tension in his muscles until he was relaxed in a boneless slump - Shinji could’ve wept in gratification.

The first time Ichigo embraced his nature, fully and wholly - curling together with the Visored as they basked in the rightness of it all – Shinji _did_ weep, a few tears stray trailing down his face.

\--- 

The first time Ichigo kissed him – chaste and imprecise, fumbling and new and glorious – Shinji finally thought he knew what home felt like.

**Author's Note:**

> See, I wasn't as savage as I could've been, all things considered.  
> Hope you enjoyed


End file.
